Seattle Seahawks (2-4) 2-3 ATS, 2-4 O/U at Dallas Cowboys (4-2) 3-3 ATS, 4-2 O/U, NFL Week 8, Sunday November 1, 2009 Cowboy Stadium, Arlington, Texas 4:15 p.m. EST TV: CBS
By Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: Seattle +9.5/Dallas -9.5
Over/Under: 45.5
The Seattle Seahawks travel to play the Dallas Cowboys this week after a much needed bye week. Seattle has only won two games this season, and they are in danger of missing the playoffs if they don’t get it turned around quickly. The Hawks beat the St. Louis Rams 28-0 and the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-0 in their only wins but those teams are not exactly stellar opponents as the Rams have yet to win a game.
Dallas can play with just about any team in the NFL and they did just that last Sunday. The Cowboys were back to their winning ways as Tony Romo and company finished off the Atlanta Falcons 37-21 at Cowboys Stadium.
Cowboy’s QB Tony Romo was definitely on his game as he was 21 of 29 for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns. Romo connected with Miles Austin for 2 of his 3 touchdown passes. Austin continued to impress everybody as he has become an instant playmaker during the past couple of weeks. Austin pulled in 6 catches for 171 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns, and his longest play was a 59-yard TD pass from Romo in the second quarter to put the Cowboys up 10-7.
The Seahawks had the last week off, and they probably needed it after their loss at Qwest Field on October 18 to the Arizona Cardinals 27-3. Seattle appeared to be getting back on track when they throttled the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-0 the week before the Cardinals game, but it was too good to be true for the Seahawk faithful.
The Hawks will need to find some kind of rhythm offensively and it has got to come quickly. Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck has been in and out of harm’s way with injury and inconsistent play. Hasselbeck was 10 of 29 for 112 yards in the loss but more importantly is the lack of any type of running game in Seattle. The Hawks have not had a running attack really since Shaun Alexander was in the backfield four years ago. Seattle had a total of 14 yards rushing in the Arizona game and a total of 128 offensive yards overall. They ran 46 plays to Arizona’s 71.
Seattle is 0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS, and 1-1 O/U on the road this season. They are also 0-3 SU, 0-3 ATS, and 2-1 O/U as the underdog.
Dallas is 2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS, and 2-1 O/U at Cowboy Stadium this year. The Cowboys are 4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS, and 4-2 O/U as the favorite.
The Seahawks have won 2 of the last 3 meetings against Dallas. Last year the Cowboys beat Seattle at home 34-9.
Seattle comes into this game averaging 19.7 points per game. The Hawks allow 18.2 ppg to their opponents. Dallas is averaging 26 points per game and giving up 19 ppg to the opposition. Both teams have similar numbers when it comes to yards allowed through the air and on the ground. Seattle allows 99 yards rushing while Dallas gives up 100 yards. Seattle gives up 220 yards passing and Dallas allows 230.
The line on this game opened at Dallas -9.5 with the total at 45.5. The Hawks didn’t play well last time they went to Dallas, so this will be a chance for them to redeem themselves and perhaps quiet the critics who are suggesting that their season is all but done. Hasselbeck spoke the press last Wednesday and said that they have 10 games left and that’s a lot of football. He said the best thing for the team is to not listen to the critics and focus on the playing field.
Most offshore sportsbooks have the Cowboy’s favored at -9 to -9.5. Dallas is playing decent ball right now while Seattle is still searching for answers especially with the running game. I like Dallas at home.
Wilson’s Pick: Dallas 28, Seattle 17. Luck to ya.
